He will not let the Larry O'Brien Trophy out of his sight, evidently, and with good reason.…
Read more Read more

He's a fan ("you can't be Mark's lawyer without being a Mavs fan"), but he insists today's filing was more than showboating.

"It's a humorous twist," he says, "but it has legal force. It makes a serious point that allegations of mismanagement are ridiculous. A substantial part of our defense is that the Mavericks are successful, and what more obvious success for an NBA team than an NBA championship?"

Coudn't one make the argument that a minority partner's goal is to maximize profit, not to win a title? Melsheimer dismisses that one. "Fundamentally in sports the most valuable franchises are the ones that win," he says. "You build brand loyalty, you build your fan base and you've built a tradition. Winning is the key to doing that. It's a long-term thing, if and Mr. Perot doesn't see that, he's clearly not a basketball guy."

To hear the defense lawyer tell it, Ross Perot Jr. and his Hillwood properties are looking for cash. They took a bath on a real estate deal, and Melsheimer says this lawsuit is an attempt to "intimidate the Mavericks into buying out their share," something Cuban isn't looking to do right now.

Always confident that the suit would be dismissed, Melsheimer saw "another nail in the coffin" each time the the Mavericks advanced in the playoffs. "And after this championship, I'd say this lawsuit has as much chance of succeeding in Dallas as a snowstorm in August."